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THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT
By Brady Udall
Jonathan Cape. 432 pages. £10.00
ISBN 978-0-37571-918-9

‘I guess I write about God because God is in our lives, whether we want him there or not.’ So said Brady Udall, author of The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, and in this, his first novel, he writes about providence, faith, and forgiveness.

An eight-year-old boy has his head run over by the mailman. He survives and so begins the miracle life of Edgar Mint, a half-Apache, half-abandoned child living in the blistering desert of Arizona.

Edgar is such a winsome hero, simultaneously courageous and vulnerable, that we sympathise instantly as he travels through hospital, boarding school and foster home. The use of first person narrative is compelling and underpins the reader’s sense of Edgar’s innocence. He is alone, surrounded by extraordinary and often menacing characters, both adults and children, of whom some will become friends and some will prove enemies.

This background, I guess, is what has led some reviewers to compare Udall’s writing with that of Dickens. I initially thought this comparison rather silly, but, in writing this review, I would cautiously agree; we see Dickens in the swarming, well-drawn characters and in the sense of destiny Edgar has in his life of great ups and downs. He is alone in a huge and threatening landscape of desert and cliffs (if you’ve read Peace like a River by Leif Enger, you might find some parallels here).

Respecting faith

But hold your horses! Don’t rush out to buy this thinking that it is a Christian book (whatever that is). Brady Udall comes from Mormon stock, and doesn’t claim to be ‘very religious’. In dialogue, language is often very coarse, and there is one section I found excessive in its sexual content. Yet, in the midst of this, we see a character come to put his trust in Jesus’s death for forgiveness, we see a great change and a great struggle. Edgar’s conversion (I hope I’m not spoiling it for anyone here…) is not reported cynically, nor explained away psychologically; it is described by someone who respects and understands faith.

I did enjoy the book greatly, for its pace, compassion, depth and characterisation, and it has left me with a great deal to think about; especially about how people can believe in God, experiencing his power, and not adore him.

Sarah Allen